Expansion of the College Football Playoff is arguably the greatest competitive change in the sport’s history — more significant than the move from the Bowl Championship Series to the four-team CFP a decade ago. Each week, the Hotline will dive into the CFP race with a look at the frontrunners, bubble teams and key developments across the landscape.
Although the result didn’t resonate deeply across college football, Oklahoma State’s overtime escape from Arkansas could become a very big deal in the CFP selection process.
It could make all the difference in the allocation of at-large berths.
Will the SEC and Big Ten gobble all seven?
How will the Big 12 and ACC fare?
Those questions will play out over time, but Oklahoma State’s victory caught our attention for its potential impact in the committee room on the first weekend in December.
If Arkansas performs well in the SEC, the benefits to Oklahoma State’s resume specifically, and the Big 12’s at-large hopes generally, will be immeasurable.
Yes, the same could be said of Iowa State’s last-second win at Iowa — a head-to-head victory for the Big 12 on Big Ten turf.
But there’s one significant difference between beating back Arkansas and edging Iowa: The Razorbacks’ schedule is loaded with ranked opponents; Iowa’s schedule is not.
The Hogs play No. 2 Texas, No. 5 Mississippi, No. 6 Missouri, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 16 LSU, and every game but one (Missouri) is in Fayetteville.
It’s one of the most enticing lineups of home dates in any conference.
And if the Razorbacks take down one or two ranked foes, the collateral impact on Oklahoma State’s resume would be significant. That, in turn, would aid the entire Big 12.
It could even be the tipping point that gets the Cowboys — or the team that finishes one spot above OSU in the conference standings — into the CFP.
Playoff expansion has created an at-large pool in college football akin to what we see with March Madness, where non-conference victories can have a compounding impact on entire leagues and, as a result, enemies should be treated as friends.
The Big 12, it seems, just became an ardent Arkansas fan.
To the projections …
Automatic bids
The five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids to the CFP, with the top four earning opening-round byes. The best team from the Group of Five will be seeded according to its ranking.
No. 1 Georgia (SEC): The Bulldogs have one of the toughest road schedules in the history of the sport with trips to No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Mississippi. They can afford to lose two.
No. 2 Ohio State (Big Ten): Is USC, not Oregon or Michigan, the greatest threat to Ohio State’s dominance of the Big Ten?
No. 3 Utah (Big 12): For the Big 12 winner, the climb to the No. 2 seed is steep — perhaps impossibly so — but the fall to the No. 4 seed is short.
No. 4 Miami (ACC): The Hurricanes stand as clear frontrunners in the ACC, but we are struggling to identify their chief challenger.
No. …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
